Sleep

Residents arrive at our doors, with sleep likely harmed by illness and pain, and changes in circadian rhythms. While we can't alter some of these factors, as care providers we can become more attuned to the importance of sleep for our residents and train our teams to create environments that are more conducive to slumber.

OK, I'll admit it. I am a huge fan of the AMC show, "The Walking Dead," which incidentally had a blockbuster Season 5 premier Sunday. It's really bizarre because I am a big weenie when it comes to scary movies. I can't even watch the previews for a horror movie on TV without hiding under a blanket.

Long-term care professionals around the country cheered wildly last week when the Food and Drug Administration approved Belsomra, a new sleep drug. Shift workers applauded the addition to their medicine cabinets, already well-stocked with sleep aids. "I've tried melatonin and Ambien, but I didn't feel great on either one of those dr—" said certified nursing assistant Susie Sleepless, interrupted by a yawn.

We insomniacs know sleep is important. We've read all the studies, usually late at night when we can't sleep. We're very aware that insomnia is shortening our lives, and that our knowledge of that fact is worsening our insomnia.

Retired people ages 65 and above do not have an increased chance of getting less rest, according to a joint study between the University of Pittsburgh's Sleep and Chronobiology Center (SCC) and University Center for Social and Urban Research (UCSUR).

A person's quality of sleep — or perceived of quality of sleep — should improve with age, a new study suggests. Investigators at the University of Pennsylvania's Center for Sleep and Circadian Neurobiology originally set out to confirm the long-held belief that difficulty sleeping increases with age.

So it's 4 a.m. and I'm still up finishing a project and jonesing for a cup of my favorite brand of coffee, NuJava. Yes, I am a coffee snob, because I like my coffee like I like my men ... straight! (And hot and strong and full bodied ... and where was I going with this? Sorry, I digressed!)